Aston Martin update in Hungary: Fernando Alonso explains what’s next

The Aston Martin team has geared itself up to return to the top of the field with a host of big names and substantial investment. Yet so far, these efforts have not borne fruit; on the contrary, the team is lagging behind the rest of the field – with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll facing a host of problems. After nine rounds of the World Championship, the Greens are in tenth place in the team standings. Only newcomers Cadillac are behind the Silverstone-based works team.

A major upgrade, scheduled to be introduced at Budapest, is intended to remedy the situation. Lawrence Stroll hopes this will bring his team back into the points. But that is not enough, as Alonso makes clear. The ambitious Asturian is convinced that the fans, too, expect more: “I think the fans want us to win Grand Prix races and fight for the world championship titles.”

And the 32-time Grand Prix winner emphasises that the Budapest upgrade won’t be enough to meet these expectations: “No matter how good the upgrade is and how much we can improve, it will certainly never be enough. We’ll still have to keep pushing. The fans need to realise that we’re working day and night to improve the car. And we’ll certainly get better and win races too. But not this year. This is just the first step in our plan, and it can’t be the last.”

It is important, he said, to identify the car’s weaknesses in Hungary and work on them, particularly with regard to aerodynamics. “We’re grappling with very specific problems, and if we can sort these out in Hungary and realise the car’s full potential, then a clear path should emerge. That should give us momentum, which we can carry forward into next year. For me, that’s the most important thing.”

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